Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Fleetwood Mac: Tusk (Bozelkablog, 2014)

Tusk absolutely deserves its place amongst the great fatigue classics of the 1970s: Sly's Riot, the Stones' Exile, Donna Summer's Once Upon a Time... (save for side three). But where those albums are energized by their fatigue, Tusk frequently
succumbs to it. It's just plain boring for long stretches. I can't
remember "Storms" and "Beautiful Child" even while they're playing! I
concede that those tracks are essential for the fatigue gestalt. But I'd
rather just recollect that gestalt than arrive at it by listening to
individual songs. Thus, a cliché like "the whole exceeds the sum of its parts" doesn't quite work.What might work, though, would be a one-disc distillation. Keep sides one and two except replace "Save Me a Place" with "Brown Eyes" and "Storms" with
"Tusk." "Sisters of the Moon" stays because it rocks which allows you to ignore what she's singing about. "Brown Eyes" is Christine at her most Eno-esque (and dishonest?). And, just for the record, "Sara" is the greatest Mac track of all time.

I grant that this messes with the gestalt and results in a rather boyish correction. And really, I can make do quite well with a 12" single comprising "The Ledge," "Sara," and "Tusk." But it strikes a fair balance between the Lindsay and the Lilith Fair. Best of all, the weirdness and intensity that became diffused in the double album bloat now comes out front and center. Special thanks from the band to ME!